Dreams in Death
by cwing90
Summary: Reoccurring nightmares haunt Ichigo and have been for two weeks now. While support from Orihime is comforting, there's still an unshakable feeling that things are only going to get worse.
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1: TYPICAL DAY AT SCHOOL

_Blood was everywhere! It stained the floor, the walls, even the ceiling. It also stained his clothes. The reason: the body of an innocent girl cradled in his arms. He looked down at her still face, hoping in vain for any signs of life. But she was completely limb- completely void of any life force._

"_Why? Why like this?" he cried out to the heavens. There came no reply. He was alone- left behind to mourn in his misery._

Ichigo's eyes snapped open at the sound of his alarm clock going off. He reached over and hit the snooze button before sitting up in his bed, face buried in his hands.

_Why do I keep having the same dream,_ he thought. He searched his mind desperately for answers. He came up with no possible answers like all the other times he tried.

The reoccurring nightmare began about two weeks ago. Every night, he had the same exact vision of a bloody scene and a dear friend dying in his arms. He concluded that he'd talk to Urahara later today. As he dressed into his school uniform, a knock came from Ichigo's bedroom door.

"Ichi-nii, breakfast is on the table," Yuzu called through the door. Ichigo headed downstairs about a minute later and was met by a flying kick courtesy of his father, Isshin Kurosaki.

"Good morning, son!" Isshin proclaimed loudly as his son hit the floor headfirst. Yuzu gasped in shock at what just transpired while Karin sighed in annoyance.

"Let it go," Karin told Yuzu, "You know our brother always comes out just fine."

"But what if he doesn't, this time?" Yuzu argued.

"Relax, Yuzu," Ichigo groaned as he rose from the floor and joined his sisters at the table, "I'm perfectly fine."

"See, told you," Karin said between bites.

Casual chatter went on around Ichigo as he walked down the school hallway to his first class. He ignored all that, as he was deep in thought about the reoccurring nightmare. His pondering was soon interrupted by a familiar male voice.

"IIIIIIIII-CHIIIIIIII-GOOOOOOOO!" The shout was cut short by a backhand from the carrot top.

"Good morning to you, too, Keigo," he said in annoyance as he walked on.

"Kurosaki-kun!" a feminine voice called out. Ichigo looked past the door to the classroom to see a certain caramel-haired and busty girl jogging up to him from farther down the hallway.

"Inoue, good morning," Ichigo greeted his female friend. They walked into the classroom and set their stuff down on their desks. Orihime looked up at where Ichigo was and strode up to him.

"You seem bothered by something," she asked softly while placing a hand over one of Ichigo's, "Are you okay?"

"Inoue…" Ichigo said nothing more, just looking in his friend's direction with an expression he hardly ever shows. This one response, however, was all too familiar to Orihime.

"You had that dream again?" she pushed further. Ichigo responded with a gentle squeeze of her hand, also all too familiar.

"It's been two weeks now," he finally managed to utter. Orihime nodded slowly, taking it in and remembering the day it all started.

_Start of Flashback, 2 weeks ago_

_Orihime sat under the cherry blossom, waiting for Ichigo to arrive. She saw him come to class looking a little disturbed and then show a hint of relief once he saw her. Plus, his eyes kept moving to her all throughout class._

_When class concluded, she met Ichigo in the hallway. She made sure she was directly in front of him, cutting off any potential escape routes._

"_Kurosaki-kun, there's something bothering you," Orihime addressed in a worried tone, "You're not your usual self and I'm worried because of it."_

"_Inoue, I….." Ichigo tried to speak but Orihime wouldn't have it._

"_Please don't, Kurosaki-kun," the healer asserted, "You're not invincible and you have friends to fall back on." She sighed to steady herself before continuing, "You have been there for me so many times. Just let me be there for you, too."_

_Ichigo said nothing for what seemed like an eternity but finally said softly, "Okay, Inoue." Orihime showed a gentle smile and said, "Meet me where we usually eat together for lunch. If you don't show up, I'm come looking for you." Ichigo nodded in acknowledgement and Orihime went on her way._

_Ichigo came walking up to where Orihime sat under the cherry blossom, bento in hand. He lowered himself next to her and they began to eat._

"_There's a reason I was acting the way I was this morning," Ichigo suddenly spoke. Orihime set her bento down and looked at him intently._

"_Last night, I had a nightmare that felt real," Ichigo continued. He explained every detail, including the blood being everywhere. Orihime was on the verge of tears. She gently took Ichigo's hand and held it over her heart._

"_As long as my heart still beats, I am there for you," she promised, "I promise you, Kurosaki Ichigo, it is nothing more than a dream."_

_End of Flashback_

Other students began filing into the classroom, serving as Orihime's cue to return to her desk.

"We'll talk more later," the busty healer assured. She gave Ichigo's hand a gentle squeeze and returned to her desk.

The school day was quite typical. Orihime sat and listened while she took notes. About halfway through the class, she noticed Ichigo and Rukia replace themselves with Kon and Chappy as they left to take care of an apparent Hollow appearance. The giveaway was "Ichigo" staring intently at the instructor's butt while trying to keep from drooling and "Rukia" suppressing her giggling while she doodled poorly drawn rabbits.

_What is it with Rukia and Chappy and their obsession with bunnies,_ Orihime pondered.

The downtown part of Kurakura Town was basically a large battlefield. Ichigo was having a hard time with the four Menos attacking him at once. He was alone in this fight since Rukia was in a similar predicament. Renji arrived a while earlier but was struck down while defending Rukia from an attack from behind.

_Dammit! Rukia's not gonna last much longer,_ Ichigo thought desperately. He dodged another attack and jumped away, giving himself space.

"Bankai!" Ichigo powered up and charged the Menos who attacked him, destroying two of them in a second then taking the other two with an enormous Getsuga-Tenshou. He immediately hurried to where Rukia was still struggling with her own group of Menos. He fired off another Getsuga-Tenshou, leaving only one left for Rukia to deal with.

"Thanks, Ichigo," was what Rukia started say. As she turned her head in his direction to speak, she heard a strange sound from the last remaining Menos. She snapped her head back to it finish charging up for a massive Cero- aimed directly at Ichigo.

All Rukia had time to do was shout at her friend, "Look out!" She watched in horror as the Cero hit Ichigo dead center, slamming him into a nearby building that collapsed from the impact.

Renji appeared beside Rukia, having recovered enough from his injury to continue fighting.

"Go help him," he asserted, "I'll finish this fight." Rukia gave him a grateful glance before hurrying off to where Ichigo landed.

"Ichigo!" Rukia cried out as she neared her fallen carrot-topped ally. She knelt over Ichigo and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder before tightly gripping the fabric.

"Please, don't die!" she whimpered. Using the grip she had on the fabric over Ichigo's shoulder, she hoisted said comrade to a position where he had one arm draped over her shoulder while she gripped his midsection with both arms. Without hesitation, she made a huge leap for the Urahara Shop.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2: CLOSE CALL

Ichigo felt incredibly weak at first but soon found some strength to open his eyes. He recognized the ceiling immediately and quickly put the pieces together on what happened after he took the Cero from that Menos.

_I hope Rukia and Renji are okay,_ he thought with concern. He then noticed a quiet snoring coming from his left. He turned his head in that direction to see Orihime curled up on the floor next to him. He put two and two together, showing a small, grateful smile.

"Arigatou, Inoue," he said quietly while taking her small, slender hand in his own. Even when he gave an affectionate squeeze, she didn't stir.

_She must've really been tired,_ Ichigo pondered, _How long was I out?_ His thoughts were interrupted by the door sliding open. Urahara stepped in with a blanket, which he draped over Orihime's sleeping form. He then turned to Ichigo.

"Ah, good to see you finally awake," he said cheerfully, "After about nine hours, everyone was starting to get nervous." Ichigo displayed nothing but shock upon hearing that.

_Nine hours?!_ Ichigo mentally screamed, _Was Inoue here all this time? No wonder she's tired!_ The Substitute Shinigami looked to Urahara with a look of concern he hardly ever showed.

"Rukia? Renji? Are they safe?" Ichigo asked. Urahara closed his fan and gave the carrot-top an assuring smile.

"They're fine, Ichigo," said Urahara, "In fact, they've been here all this time, worried about you- especially Rukia." Ichigo made a move to get up- only to be stopped by Urahara's firm hand.

"Not tonight," the shopkeeper asserted, "It's past midnight and everyone's already asleep. You'd better stay here and get more rest." Ichigo gave a reluctant nod and Urahara left the room, sliding the door shut behind him.

Ichigo laid back once more and looked toward the sleeping Orihime again, taking her hand in his. Sleep greeted him minutes later.

Orihime yawned and attempted to rub the sleep from her eyes. She then found that one of her hands was clasped in one of Ichigo's. She smiled at knowing Ichigo finally woke up but mentally kicked herself for not being awake for it. With her still-clasped hand, she brushed her cheek with the back of Ichigo's hand.

_Kurosaki-kun, you really had us all worried,_ the healer mentally lamented, _I know you're tough and durable, but it hurts to see you injured._

The door slip open and Ururu peeked in.

"Inoue-san, breakfast is on the table," the little girl informed.

"Arigatou, Ururu," Orihime replied, "I'll be there shortly." Ururu nodded and slid the door shut. Orihime turned her attention back to Ichigo and saw that he was just starting to wake up. Their eyes locked and both showed a caring smile while giving each other's clasped hands a quick squeeze.

"When did you first wake up?" Orihime asked.

"Sometime past midnight, Urahara didn't say a specific time," Ichigo replied.

"Well, all that matters to me is you're awake," the busty healer assured, "Ururu informed me that breakfast is ready so we should hurry before it's all gone."

_At least she'll be eating something normal for once,_ Ichigo thought.

When Ichigo and Orihime reached the dining room in the back of the shop, there was still plenty of food left. Urahara, Rukia and Renji were sitting around the table with two empty spots between Rukia and Urahara. Rukia, upon seeing Ichigo up and walking, jumped up and trapped him in an embrace with her face buried in his chest.

"Rukia…." Ichigo held the raven-haired Shinigami as she occasionally let out a muffled sob.

"You had us all worried, Ichigo," Renji stated from his spot at the table, "We eventually started to think you weren't going to make it."

"I know," Ichigo replied in a solemn tone, "I'm really sorry." He felt Rukia tighten her grip and proceeded to stroke her hair.

"I'm sorry for what I put you through," he added quietly.

Eventually, Rukia calmed down and released Ichigo before returning to the table. Ichigo to the spot next to Rukia and Orihime sat down next to Ichigo.

"Do you think you're well enough for school, Kurosaki?" Urahara asked.

"Yeah, I think I can manage," Ichigo assured.

"I'm well rested so don't worry about me," Orihime chimed in.

"Alright then," Urahara turned his attention to Rukia, "I would suggest taking Shinigami duty alone for today. His body might not be fully recovered, yet." He turned back to Ichigo, pointing his folded fan.

"That means NO FIGHTING HOLLOWS, Kurosaki!" he asserted. Ichigo sighed heavily but nodded his acknowledgement.

After everyone finished eating, Ururu gathered the dishes and proceeded to wash them with Orihime's volunteered assistance. Ichigo headed back to the backroom where he slept and changed into the set of school clothes Urahara gave him. He stepped out of the room just as Orihime came walking down the hall to the same room. She slid the door shut behind her and changed into her own school uniform while Ichigo and Rukia waited for her out in the store's sales floor. Before long, she joined her carrot-topped and raven-haired friends and they were on their way to school.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3: UNOFFICIAL DATE NIGHT

The school day seemed to go by a lot slower for Ichigo. Not heading out in the middle of class in order to fight hollows was quite the change. About halfway through the day, Ichigo noticed Chappy was in Rukia's place yet again as the latter was out fighting hollows. The giveaway was the stifled giggling and hushed singing of "Boing, boing, boing, boing!"

_At least I don't have to worry about Kon doing something stupid,_ the carrot top thought as he watched the instructor go on about an advanced mathematical procedure. He looked over to Orihime who was busy scribbling down notes.

_She seems calm right now,_ he further pondered, _but I can't shake the feeling that she's really worried and she's just hiding it._

The school day finally came to a close and Ichigo was headed down the road toward his home. He turned the corner and stopped dead in his tracks upon hearing the familiar roar of a hollow. He started to reach down to his pocket to grab the small green pill containing Kon- only to be stopped by a firm grip on his wrist courtesy of Orihime.

"Urahara-san said, 'not today'," the caramel-haired girl reminded. Ichigo moved his hand away from his pocket and Orihime shifted her grip so that they were now holding hands. Orihime hid her blush the best she could as she did this.

"Inoue, if you just wanted me to walk you home, all you have to do is ask," Ichigo guffawed. They continued down the road in a comfortable silence. As they enjoyed each other's company, people they past and other onlookers showed adoring glances in the direction what they saw as a young cute couple.

Once they reached the door to Orihime's place, Ichigo attempted to continue on his way home.

"Kurosaki-kun," Ichigo stopped to turn and face his friend who called to him, "You don't have to, but I-I was wondering if you could stay for dinner tonight."

_Damn my stuttering,_ Orihime mentally cursed, _I might have just blown a good chance to get closer to him!_ She stood by her door as she waited for Ichigo's reply but eventually added, "I'll prepare something normal for you."

"Define 'normal'," Ichigo guffawed as he joined the healer by her door. Orihime joined in his laughter as she unlocked her door and walked into her house with Ichigo in tow.

The two entered the kitchen and began to decide what to prepare for their shared supper. Before long, they were setting out the required pots and pans. Several times throughout the preparation and cooking process, Orihime tried to add red bean paste but was stopped by Ichigo every time. Occasionally, she would make a face at him in a mock pout and whine, "Kurosaki-kuuuuuuuuuuuun!"

"No way are you gonna ruin a perfectly good dinner recipe," Ichigo would respond with a mock frown. Within seconds, they would both start snickering before breaking out in full laughter.

It wasn't long before supper was ready. The two teens smiled at each other as they took their first few bites. They eventually began to chat about how slow the day was for Ichigo and how bad both Rukia and Chappy were at drawing.

Time flew by and before Orihime knew it, she was yawning every few minutes. Ichigo looked at the clock over the TV and saw it was already pretty late.

"You should get some sleep, Inoue," Ichigo said as he stood up from his spot next to Orihime on the couch.

"You sure you want to be out alone this late at night?" the busty healer asked.

"I'll be fine, Inoue," Ichigo assured, "We've got school tomorrow so you'd better hit the sack ASAP." He then headed for the door, bidding Orihime one last goodnight before leaving.

Orihime then headed for her bedroom. Within minutes, she changed into a short pajama dress and was under her bedcovers. She lay there for several more minutes, recalling the whole evening she just spent with Ichigo. Sighing contently, she rolled onto her side and entered dreamland.

_Blood was everywhere! It stained the floor, the walls, even the ceiling. It also stained his clothes. The reason: the body of an innocent girl cradled in his arms. He looked down at her still face, hoping in vain for any signs of life. But she was completely limb- completely void of any life force._

"_Why? Why like this?" he cried out to the heavens. There came no reply. He was alone- left behind to mourn in his misery._

Ichigo jerked upright in his bed, breathing heavily to calm his shaking body. His vision blurred with tears but he quickly wiped them away with his hand.

_That damn dream again,_ Ichigo cursed inwardly, _why is this happening?_ He looked over at the short drawer on the opposite wall from his bed that had a few framed pictures sitting on it's top. He walked over and picked up a certain framed picture that was a photo of him and Orihime smiling together at the small park down the street. Rukia was the one who took the picture and the fall season made for a beautiful backdrop.

Ichigo continued to stare into the photo, the reoccurring nightmare still fresh in his mind.

_Inoue….._, he pondered out of uncertainty. He quickly set the picture back down after another minute or so and changed into his school uniform before heading downstairs for breakfast- only to find that Yuzu was still preparing it. He walked into the kitchen and began to assist his youngest sister in getting breakfast ready. Before long, it was on the table and Yuzu went to inform Karin while Ichigo went to sit down and wait for everyone else to arrive.

"Time for breakfast!" Isshin shouted as he dove at his son for a tackle. Ichigo quickly took the chair he was about to sit in and held it out front, causing Isshin to crash face first into it. The carrot-topped teen sighed heavily as he set the chair back down on the floor and took his seat.

Yuzu and Karin entered the dining room several seconds later. Upon seeing Isshin on the floor, Yuzu looked up at Ichigo with a questioning look. This caused both Ichigo and Karin to say simultaneously, "Don't ask."


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4: A TRAITOROUS FIGURE

The entire school day went rather slowly for Ichigo, Orihime and Rukia. No Hollows appeared at all during any class. Ichigo was actually half-grateful due to not having to put Kon in his spot and risk getting in trouble for something he didn't do.

After the final class ended, the trio walked together in the direction of Orihime's place. They were stopped by the sudden appearance of Renji.

"Rukia," the crimson-haired Shinigami called as he neared them, "Just got a message from Head Captain Yamamoto. All high-ranking Shinigami are to assemble immediately for an emergency meeting."

"Got it," Rukia replied in business-like tone, "Let's get moving." She then turned to Ichigo and Orihime, adding, "Sorry, duty calls." She immediately took off to join Renji and return to Soul Society. The two teens watched their Shinigami friends sprint in the direction of Urahara's. Once the latter was out of sight, the former continued toward Orihime's place to work together on homework.

Rukia and Renji approached the doors leading to the meeting room where all the captains and lieutenants were supposed to meet. Both were wondering what could be so dire that an emergency meeting had to be organized. They came within just a few steps of the doors- but stopped dead in their tracks, not moving even a centimeter. Their faces showed no emotion, their minds not fast enough to countered the mysterious lightning-fast mental assault.

Without saying a word to each other or making any gestures, they promptly turned around and headed back the way they came. An unknown force that spoke through their minds was calling them upon from a far-off location.

Toshiro Hitsugaya and Rangiku Matsumoto walked down the corridor in silence. Toshiro was stoic as ever, ignoring that fact that his lieutenant has been trying to get a word out of him for the past several minutes.

"Seriously, we should go to that new hot springs that opened up recently," Rangiku blabbered on, "It's all private and maid service is available for a little extra- OOF!" The busty lieutenant slightly doubled over and held her mid-section after she walked right into Toshiro's raised hand.

"Captain, what was that for?" she began to whine. Toshiro verbally hushed her while still keeping his hand raised in her direction, peeking around the corner into the large foyer. Curious, Rangiku stepped up right behind Toshiro and followed his gaze. Walking toward the large door leading outside were Rukia and Renji, seemingly possessed in their walking and emotionless faces.

"Should we alert the others?" Rangiku whispered

"We shouldn't be jumping the gun just yet," Toshiro replied in the same manner, "They could be just fatigued or something. Either way, if we get proven wrong, we'll make the 10th Division look bad as well as make ourselves look like idiots- not that you've already done that so many times."

"That's mean!" Rangiku began loudly whine. Toshiro quickly covered her mouth with his hand and groaned, "Don't you ever shut up?"

The white-haired captain and busty lieutenant were soon tracking Renji and Rukia as they walked on past the market district and outer walls into the forestation beyond. They kept going for several miles, still quietly following behind by a few feet.

_This is just too weird,_ Toshiro pondered, _why would they, out of the blue, venture all the way out here?_

Finally, Rukia and Renji seemed to find their destination on top of a large cliff overlooking a forest that expanded into the horizon. In the shadows of trees and bushes several feet away were Toshiro and Rangiku, waiting to see what will happen next. They didn't have to wait long as a figure jumped down from some trees nearby and landed in front of Rukia and Renji.

_Oh my god,_ Rangiku mentally gasped. She recognized the person standing in front of the raven-haired girl and her red-headed friend. It was the same for Toshiro.

_Isn't that Ichigo's Quincy friend,_ he wondered with shock, _he's a Quincy, how is possession possible?_

The Quincy made a couple hand motions, causing possessed Shinigami to come back to their senses. They looked around confused before noticing a familiar face in front of them.

"Ishida," Renji exclaimed, "Where are we? What's going on here?" He took a step toward the Quincy- only to stopped by a blue glowing arrow aimed at his face.

"What in the-? What's the meaning of- OOF!" Renji was cut off by Uryu Ishida dispelling his arrow and sending a glowing hand into his chest in one move, causing a glowing handprint to form.

"Renji!" Rukia moved to draw her sword but was stopped by Uryu's unexpected quickness and now had a glowing handprint on her chest, as well. Like Renji, she was now experiencing a burning pain in her entire chest area. She struggled back up to her feet and proceeded to glare with anger at the Quincy.

"From this moment on, you are my slaves," Uryu said flatly, "I can now possess you anywhere at anytime. You are to follow my orders when I give them without question. For every disobedience, up to five of your fellow Shinigami will die. I can track you through the mark on your chest so don't even try to find a way around it."

Having seen enough, Toshiro and Rangiku turned to silently head back to Soul Society. _Snap!_ Rangiku froze completely as she looked down at the small twig she stepped on.

"Kill them! There can't be any witnesses!" Uryu shouted as he made a couple hand gestures, repossessing Renji and Rukia.

"Go on ahead," Toshiro commanded, "I'll slow them down!"

"I'm not leaving you, Captain!" Rangiku pleaded, "They will kill you!"

"I said go!" the white-haired captain shoved his lieutenant in the direction of Soul Society. Fighting back tears, Rangiku started running before going into an all-out sprint. She began Flash Stepping to speed herself up, hoping against hope to return with reinforcements before something happened to her captain.

The sounds of sword blades clashing together were getting fainter by the second. However, she soon heard a certain _zing_ sound and dodged to the side. A blue glowing arrow missed her by and inch and took out a tree several feet away. She look behind her to see Uryu not far behind, leaping through the trees while firing off multiple arrows.

As she approached a wooden bridge over a river, she made a split-second decision and dove into the river in hopes of losing him in the water. As she swam with the current, numerous Quincy arrows zipped past until two lodged into her back and one into the back of her thigh. Her natural reaction lead to her gasping in water, leading her to suddenly start fighting to stay conscious.

After floating down the river a ways, she struggled to the surface. Coughing up the water she inhaled, she looked around the riverbank closest to her for something to help pull herself out. She finally saw a rock that she could grasp and tried to hoist herself up. A massive sharp pain suddenly flared in her midsection and leg, her blood staining the rock and the river's water. As much as she tried, she couldn't summon any strength and found herself floating once more.

_Please, let me be found soon,_ Rangiku pleaded in her mind, _my captain needs me!_ Massive blood loss caught up to her then, her consciousness quickly gone.


End file.
